Fashion statement: Technology to enhance uniforms

It's perhaps the most distinctive sound in football -- the pop of the pads that accompanies a solid hit. Coaches from youth leagues to the NFL have listened for it for decades, using it as a gauge of the effort and intensity being put forth by their players.

Soon, however, it may go the way of the leather helmet.

Courtesy of Xenith

New technologies are continuously being developed and refined to produce lighter, stronger, more adaptive helmets, pads and other football gear, such as Dry-Fit fabrics and lightweight, shock-absorbing helmets.

The next big innovation on the horizon may be shoulder pads that are sewn into a shirt.

"They're going to hide it into a tight-fitting shirt that moves with your body," said Auburn director of equipment Dana Marquez, who saw a prototype of the new pads earlier this summer. "That's coming. Everybody's going to have to get over that 'pop' factor. Everybody likes that pop."

Shoulder pads and practically every other piece of equipment used by a football player have constantly been improved and refined over the years. Gone are the hulking, high-sitting shoulder pads that made Pittsburgh linebacker Jack Lambert look nearly twice his actual size back in the 1970s. Gone are the simple, single-strap helmets with webbing or rows of square cushions inside.

Shoulder pads these days are low-profile with pads often only 1/8 of an inch thick and often made of the same kind of carbon-fiber material used in Indy Cars, Marquez said. They can be modified to provide extra protection to players with various shoulder or rib injuries.

Helmet innovations are particularly fluid as manufacturers like Riddell, Schutt, Adams and Xenith seek to prevent concussions with new designs. Riddell claims its Revolution series, first introduced in 2002, has produced a 31 percent reduction in the risk of concussion as opposed to traditional helmets. Several Schutt models utilize Skydex -- a shock-absorbing and blast-limiting material used in convoy trucks and the decks of ships in the military. Schutt has also developed Heat Observation Technology, which uses sensors inside the helmet to monitor a player's body temperature and serve as an early-warning system for heat stroke.

In a departure from the air-management systems employed in most other helmets, Xenith recently introduced a design that includes a series of shock absorbers around the dome -- called a shock bonnet -- and a "Fit Seeker" system that automatically fits the helmet to the player's head with the fastening of the chinstrap.

Xenith's X-1 design, Marquez said, may help prevent the increased occurrence of helmets popping off during games -- a phenomenon that Florida coach Urban Meyer attributed to players not fully buckling both of their double-chinstraps.

"It's a very cool technology," said Marquez, whose staff has been testing the Xenith helmet for the last four years. "The best thing about it is with these players who aren't wanting to snap their chinstraps, they have no choice in this helmet. ... It's actually controlled by the chinstrap. It has to be buckled up."

Marquez said he believes technology isn't the problem when it comes to concussions, it's making sure each helmet fits correctly. The fit can be altered by the temperature (as heat causes air to expand) or even a haircut, Marquez said. It's one reason he employs four full-time equipment managers and 28 student assistants at Auburn.

"The technology only works if the helmet fits," Marquez said. "Our biggest thing is educating our athletes about what our equipment can and cannot do."

Innovations in jerseys and uniforms are also ongoing from companies such as Nike and UnderArmour, largely geared toward development more lightweight, breathable fabrics such as Nike's Dri-FIT mesh. Nike claims its Pro Combat line, which incorporates the Dri-FIT technology, is 46 percent lighter than current designs when wet. "That's very important because we think that has an impact on speed," Nike spokeswoman Cindy Hamilton said.

The line, which debuted last year, also includes a padded base layer within the pants, eliminating the need for separate hip, thigh and tailbone pads. "The game has become a lot more aggressive, collisions are becoming more violent," Hamilton said. "Players need more protection."

Alabama and nine other schools will wear specially designed Nike Pro Combat throwback uniforms in at least one game this year. The uniforms will be unveiled Wednesday in New York.

Marquez said something as simple as the trim and numbers can affect a jersey's weight. Sublimation, which injects ink into jerseys and pants instead of using sewn or pressed-on numbers, may be the wave of the future, he said. And while the emphasis in equipment is on new and improved, there is one retro trend Marquez sees on the horizon -- waist-cut jerseys. "Players don't tuck their jerseys in anymore," he said. "You just do a waist-cut jersey with enough fabric to where it looks like it's tucked in. . . . It's going back old-school." Waist-cut, however, does not mean you'll be seeing 1970s-style cutoff jerseys and bare bellies, Marquez said. Like leather helmets, some old-school gear is best left in the past.